Avoiding Pressure Surge Damage in Pipeline Systems

1. Avoiding Pressure Surge Damage in Pipeline Systems Presented by Geoffrey D Stone CP Eng FIE Aust

2. Firstly Quantify the Problem • “In physical science the first essential step in the direction of learning any subject is to find principles of numerical reckoning and practicable methods for measuring some quality connected with it. I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the state of Science, whatever the matter may be." • Lord Kelvin [PLA, 1883-05-03]

3. Pressure Vessel Code AS 1210 Arc Welded Steel Pipe AS 1579 Submarine Pipeline Code AS 1958 Installation of UPVC AS 2032 Installation of PE AS 2033 Buried Flexible Pipelines Design AS 2566 Gas & Liquid Pipeline Code AS 2885 GRP Pipes for Water & Sewerage AS 3571 Installation of ABS Pipes AS 3690 Pressure Piping Code AS 4041 WSA 01 Polyethylene Pipeline Code WSA 02 Sewerage Code of Australia WSA 03 Water Supply Code WSA 04 Sewage Pumping Stations PIPA-OP010A:Part 1 Polyethylene Pressure Pipes Design for Dynamic Stresses Power Piping ASME B31.1 Process Piping ASME B31.3 Pipeline Transportation Systems for Hydrocarbons and other Liquids ASME B31.4 Refrigeration and Heat Transfer Components ASME B31.5 Building Services Piping ASME B31.9 Slurry Transportation Piping Systems ASME B31.11 Glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) piping ISO 14692-3 Design & Construction of GRP Pipes BS 7159 AWWA Fibreglass Pipe ANSI/AWWA C950 Australian & International Codes & Standards

4. There are two categories of damage that arise from surge events • catastrophic failure of the pipeline system or equipment • fatigue failure of the pipeline, supports , instrumentation, equipment and components

5. Stronger pipework to withstand the pressure surge Rerouting piping Change of pipe material to one with a lower modulus (i.e. thermoplastic pipe materials) Flow control valves Air/Vacuum Release valves Intermediate check valves Non slam check valves Bypass Valves Gas accumulators Liquid accumulators Surge tanks Surge shafts Surge anticipation valves Relief valves Bursting discs Weak pipe sections Increase diameter of pipeline to reduce average velocity Variable speed drives Soft starters Valve closure and opening times Increasing the inertia of pumps and motors (i.e. flywheels or by selection) Minimising resonance hazards and increase reliability by additional supports Investment in more engineering Equipment and Processes Solutions

6. Selection Process

7. Use of Stronger Pipework Increase in capital costs for pipe, fittings, valves and instruments Increase in velocity and celerity as wall thickness increases Increase likelihood of fatigue damage and maintenance costs if surge events frequent Pipe inherently maintenance free compared to other surge devices Needs to be determined at design stage Re-Routing Pipeline Increase in capital costs Land or easement acquisition Direction drilling Increased length of pipeline Hydraulic grade line above the pipeline profile reduces potential for cavitation Possible increase in energy Inherently maintenance free Needs to be determined at design stage Piping Design Using Stronger Pipe or Re-Routing the Pipeline

8. Change of Pipe Material to One with a Lower Modulus (i.e. thermoplastic pipe materials) • Capital cost neutral • Not a universal solution because of limited pressure classes available • Thermoplastic pipe materials properties vary with temperature, strain rate and time • Does not protect when column separation occurs • Wall thickness selection to allow for vacuum conditions • Local buckling at above ground supports to be designed • Needs to be determined at design stage

9. Flow Control Valves • Moderate capital cost • Increased maintenance to ensure they remain effective • Can be used for multiple duties and scenarios • Power or instrumentation not necessarily required • Can be retrofitted

10. Air/Vacuum Release Valves • Increased capital costs • Increased maintenance to ensure effective operation • Use requires extensive modelling to ensure operation in all scenarios • Not suitable for hazardous liquids • Primary duty is for line filling and draining and hence location may not be optimal for surge mitigation • Not all air valves are suitable for this purpose due to their original design • Valve pit may be in road causing problems during construction or maintenance • Can be retro fitted easily if reducing tees in pipeline already installed otherwise tee type couplings required to be fitted

11. Modern Design of Air / Vacuum Release Valve-Ventomat

12. Intermediate Check Valves • Increase in capital costs for check valve but reduction in rating of other pipeline components • Effective in splitting the surge pressure rise in two • Degree of increase in maintenance minimal • Protects pumps from highest peak pressure • Non slam check valves preferred • Valve pit may be in road way causing traffic problems during construction or maintenance • Check valves are not considered an adequate form of isolation and hence should be installed with isolation valves • Needs to be determined at design stage otherwise pipeline needs to be out of service for retrofitting check valve

13. Non Slam Check Valve • Capital cost increase • Fast closing valve reduces surge pressure at pump • Reduces fatigue damage • Increase in maintenance low • Inherently trouble free • Available as short or long pattern • Used extensively in Europe • Can be retrofitted as valves standard lengths

14. Comparison of Check Valve Performance

15. Noreva Annulus Type Non Slam Check Valves

16. Bypass Check Valves • Increase capital cost • Increase maintenance to ensure effective operation • Needs positive pressure upstream to provide energy to fill cavitation voids • Simple and effective for overcoming negative pressures • Does not provide protection for positive pressures • Can be readily retrofitted

17. Bladder Type Gas Accumulator • Increased capitol costs • Maintenance level low for bladder type • Provides secure protection for positive and negative surge pressures • Best located at source of pressure transient event • Overseas design and manufacture • Can be retrofitted • Long lead time

18. Hydro-Pneumatic Accumulator • Increased capital costs • Maintenance level high for hydro pneumatic type • Best located at source of pressure transient event • Provides secure protection for positive and negative surge pressures • Local design and manufacture • Can be retrofitted if branched tees fitted to pipework • Long lead time

19. Liquid accumulators • Increase capital cost • Difficult to model without test data • Inherently maintenance free • Can be retrofitted but generally a long lead time

20. Surge Tanksand Surge Shafts • Commonly used in water transmission systems • Provides protection from negative pressure events but NOT for positive pressures • Inherently maintenance free except for refilling facility of surge tank • Telemetry required for monitoring • Can be retrofitted but generally a long lead time required

21. Surge Anticipation Valves • Moderate capital cost • Complex devices • Require power in the form of electric, hydraulic or pneumatic to operate • Do not cover all surge events in a pipeline systems • High maintenance to ensure that they work when needed • Vendors who perform surge analysis and recommendation are NOT necessarily design engineers and do NOT take responsibility. Often do not have latest, or have limited capability, software. • Can be retrofitted however moderate lead times

22. Relief Valvesand Bursting Discs • Increase in capital cost • Conventional devices do not react quickly enough to prevent damage from surge pressure • Do not protect against vacuum conditions • High level of maintenance • Bursting discs require replacement after operation • Need for registration and routine testing per Code • Suitable for lethal and flammable liquids as part of an overall protection strategy • Can be retrofitted however may be moderate lead times

23. Weak Pipe Sections • Capital cost neutral • Reduces celerity in sensitive sections • Reduced surge pressure magnitude • Reduced fatigue damage • Could be damaged by vacuum conditions • Suitable for low pressure systems in the water industry • Inherently maintenance free • Not a universal solution • Needs to be determined at design stage

24. Increase Diameter of Pipeline to Reduce Average Velocity • Reduced celerity and surge pressure • Increase in capital cost of pipe, excavation, valves and instruments • Increased life of the asset • Future augmentation possible • Inherently maintenance free • Reduction in energy of pumping • Settling of solids more likely • Needs to be determined at design stage

25. Variable Speed Drivesand Soft Starters • Increase in capital costs and complexity • Low level of maintenance • Increased frequency of replacement and upgrade • Provides NO protection for loss of power scenarios • Soft starters protect power supply more than pipeline; there are NO guarantees they can be set to limit surge pressures • Reduced fatigue issues for normal stop/start • Larger switchroom required to house devices • Needs to be determined at design stage as costly to retrofit and to house in a switchroom

26. Valve Closure and Opening Times • Low capital cost solution • Can be effective in reducing surge pressures • Requires power supply in the form of hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical energy to be totally reliable • Needs uninterruptible power supply for secure operation • Requires extensive modelling to cover all operational scenarios • Requires routine testing to be effective • Can be modified during commissioning or operation if valves are automated and fitted with adjustable opening/closing devices

27. Increasing the Inertia of Pumps and Motors • Modest increase in capital cost • Flywheels increase moment of inertia • Four pole speed motors and pumps have larger moment of inertia and have other benefits over two pole motor driven pumps • Physically larger pump sets and hence buildings may be increased in size • Inherently a low maintenance solution • Needs to be determined at design stage

28. Minimise Resonance Increased capital costs Increased engineering to determine dynamic behaviour of piping Reduces damage arising from dynamic loading and vibration Can be retrofitted quickly Improved Stiffness Increase in capital costs Reduction in peak pressure due to reduced celerity Acceptance of high fatigue damage causing increase in maintenance costs More secure piping system Inherently maintenance free Can be readily retrofitted Minimising Resonance Hazards and Increase Stiffness by Additional Supports

29. Investment in More Engineering • a dollar spent at concept stage is worth ten dollars at design stage • one hundred dollars at procurement stage • one thousand dollars at fabrication stage • ten thousand dollars during construction and • one hundred thousand dollars during commissioning • one million dollars once the lawyers are involved!!!!!!!!!! “There always appears to be enough money to investigate a failure but never enough to do the design engineering in the first place” The Engineers Lament

30. But just a word from Lord Kelvin to temper the quest for an answer: “Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can be tolerated only in race horses and fancy women.“ Therefore your investment should be in engineering oooooo-The End - oooooo